Today is my Dad's birthday.

He is incredibly smart. He has a undergraduate degree in Forestry and a Masters degree in Soil Science from Colorado State University. He has another Masters degree in Urban Ministry and is working on a third Masters degree from Moody Bible Institute. He is also an ordained minister and a missionary.

He spent many years working for the USDA as a soil scientist. He mapped soils in the fields of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Virginia, and Mississippi; coming home night after night telling us stories about the various soils he'd encountered. One of his soils projects was actually on display in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. one summer.

We moved many, many times growing up, so I was homeschooled. My dad helped me through Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Pre-Calc, Chemistry and Physics. We didn't have a lab at home, so after he came home from work, we would "visualize" chemistry and physics experiments together. He was a good teacher. Not only did I understand the topics well, during my Sophomore year of high school, I tested in the top 97% of graduating high school seniors. By the time I graduated high school, I had been offered full scholarships to several universities.

I've gone on to start a successful business, something I probably wouldn't have done without the determination that my dad modeled for me growing up.

He's a great dad. I'm thankful for what he taught me. Today, he is my dad hero.

Help me wish him a Happy Father's Day... and a Happy Birthday! Vote this post up!